


The Soldier and The Spy

by AlyssAlenko, LauraEMoriarty



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Action, Aliens, Alternate Universe - Twins, Batarians, Battle, Best Friends, Biotics, Canon-Typical Violence, Ceremony, Childhood Friends, Chronic Pain, Comrades in Arms, Coping, Death, Drinks, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Elysium, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, Espionage, Explicit Language, Family, Family Drama, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Guilt, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Hospitals, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Inappropriate Humor, Innuendo, Kisses, Language, Light Angst, Loss, Love, Male-Female Friendship, Medals, Memories, Mild Language, Military, Minor Character Death, Minor Injuries, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Violence, Multi, Original Character(s), Overdosing, Pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Canon, Protective Siblings, Relationship(s), Romance, Sarcasm, Sexual Humor, Shore Leave, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Siblings, Sleepy Cuddles, Soldiers, Space Pirates, Speeches, Spies & Secret Agents, Step-Brothers, Step-parents, Suggestive Themes, Through the Years, Time Jump, Training, Trust, Twins, Vacation, Vrolik's Syndrome, Wishes, closeness, eventual Shega, eventual Shenko, holding action, inspired by a canon line, references, shega leadup, shenko leadup, skyllian blitz, slavers - Freeform, twinsheps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 13:29:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13591044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyssAlenko/pseuds/AlyssAlenko, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LauraEMoriarty/pseuds/LauraEMoriarty
Summary: A twinshep Verse that starts pre-canon at the Skyllian Blitz, which will eventually encompass all three games--Rating is due to change in the future.Grainne and Calysta Shepard weren't trying to make a name for themselves at Elysium--they just happened to be in the right place at the right time, unaware that what happened there would change the course of their lives forever and make it so that everyone in the Galaxy knew their names.





	1. The Skyllian Blitz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Into the Valley of Death, rode the six hundred..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by the Talented Naomi Moriarty

__

_Elysium, 2176_

 

The bar at the beach definitely ranked up there in _worst bars ever_ in Grainne Shepard’s eyes. Overcrowded, sweaty bodies rubbing shoulder to shoulder, the wind from the ocean doing little to dissipate the stench of stale beer, old deep fryer oil, and sweat. Packed like herrings on a smoking rack, the crowd stood around a ring, in which two powerful biotics duelled in a test of skill and flashiness. One, a woman in an Alliance blue wetsuit, threw the other opponent across the ring, and the crowd cheered loudly, wolf whistles and lewd comments among the general hubbub. Her opponent, a tall, slim man, rolled his head and launched himself at her, and she ducked, missing the blow by fractions of an inch. Again the reaction from the crowd proved that this fight had money riding on it, as the familiar ping of omnitools and the orange glow as screens popped up, confirming wagers being placed.

Grai chuckled, shaking her head as the fight resumed. Dancing out of the way of the singularity, she avoided the mass effect field as she flipped her opponent, using his momentum to off-balance him, and he fell, the sickening _crunch_ of neck cartilage echoing in the chamber. Bending down to check on him, she activated her omnitool and scanned him, reading the reports that came through saying the damage she had done was easily fixed with medigel.

“Join the Alliance and you can learn to be a badass. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the galaxy!” Grai's voice boomed out over the roaring crowd, as she straightened up.

Her opponent lurched to his feet, and Grai grinned. “You're coming with me, mate. I’m taking you in for questioning.”

“I’ve done nothing wrong!” The man protested, and Grai rolled her eyes.

“If you mean importing Red Sand for six months is _nothing wrong_ , I think you’ll discover that a whole panel of judges will find differently. C’mon, let’s go.” Pushing through the crowd, she led the man away. She’d been working this bust for two months, and nobody would deny her the satisfaction as she angled the man headfirst into a shuttle.

“Got him, did you?” The amused voice of her shuttle pilot made her glance up.

“Yep. His biotic abilities should be wearing off soon. I don’t wanna be the person who has to lash him down to a bed while he’s coming down,” Grai said, as Steve Cortez chuckled.

“Poor bastard. Not sure who’ll be sorrier—the doctors or him,” Cortez agreed. “Anyway, let’s get him back to HQ, and then you can go back to sunning yourself by the pool.”

Grai made a face. “Not my scene—you know that. I love living dangerously,” she flashed him a smile.

“Oh yeah—that’s more Cal’s scene, isn't it?” Cortez laughed.

“Got it in one.”

“Ow, my head…” The man moaned, and Grai nodded.

“Yeah, that’s what happens when you ingest too much red sand and then decide to go toe-to-toe with a real biotic in a boxing ring,” Grai said.

“...so _that's_ what it was?”

“Like you didn’t know. You import the stuff—how can you _not_ know what it does?” Grai’s voice held a touch of amusement.

“I’ve never tried it—I didn't know it turned people into powerful biotics,” the man said, gasping for breath.

“Go on, pull the other one,” Grai returned, humorlessly.

“I honestly—” the man mumbled, before passing out.

“Well Grai, where are we taking him?” Cortez asked, glancing behind him as Grai secured the man to a bulkhead.

“That Alliance Outpost three clicks from here. Let them decide what to do with him once he sleeps it off. I want him as far away from angry people that decide they want to kill him,” Grai replied, smirking.

“I hear ya,” Cortez chuckled.

 

The sun shone directly on Calysta Shepard as she lounged in a lawn chair at the edge of the resort’s pool, the heat evaporating the rivulets of water off her skin from her earlier dip in the pool. She wasn't sure this shore leave could be any more perfect, finally having a chance to relax and soak up some rays, not having to think about work, and she planned to enjoy it to the fullest. Behind her sunglasses, brown eyes watched the vacationers and the staff bustle about, before they fell back to the page in front of her. A shadow blocked the sun, making her scrunch up her nose in dismay as she looked up into a bearded face she knew all too well, frowning down at her.

“Sit down before you hurt yourself.” She scolded, returning her attention to the steamy romance novel in front of her.

“I’m bored. I wanna do something.”

She snorted with laughter at the whiny pitch in his voice; he was twenty-one years old and acting like a petulant child. He flopped down into the chair next to her and stole her drink off the table, taking a big long swig...she wasn’t sure how much flavor it had left since the ice had been melting into it for over an hour. He sighed dramatically, a hand thrown over his eyes for effect, making her eyes practically roll into the back of her head.

“You could've gotten into the pool with me—”

“I don't like being wet.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Grai said she was going to go find some fun...maybe we should've gone with her.”

“Grai’s fun normally ends up with someone being knocked on their ass, but do what you want to do, Señor Brittle Bones. I’m not going to stop you. Or we can do some day drinking in the bar and I can be the best wingman you’ve ever had.” Cal smirked at him and he grinned.

“I’m game.”

He grabbed the bill of the baseball cap Cal had given him before his big flight school exam—which he’d passed and thus deemed the hat lucky; the thing hadn't been washed in a year, lest they wash the luck right out of it—and pulled the garment off his head before replacing it, as Calysta threw her legs over the side of her lounge chair, fixing the back of her hair with one hand. It wasn’t exactly how she’d planned to spend her day, but she could at least humor him for a little while. She downed the rest of her drink before tying her sarong around her hips and offering Joker her hand to help him off the low seats so as not to break the bones in his shins; the last thing either of them wanted was to have to spend a beautiful day in the infirmary, because they hadn’t been careful of his Vrolik’s Syndrome.

“Come on, Crutches; let's see if we can find you a nice girl...with exceedingly low standards.” She teased.

Joker punched her in the arm, playfully. “Remind me why I’m friends with you, because I’ll have you know, I’m dashing.”

Her eyes couldn't have rolled farther back into her head if she tried.

“It’s because of my looks. I swear.” She smacked the brim of his hat down, affectionately. “So dashing, that if I hadn't of known you since we were snot-nosed little brats I wouldn't be able to keep my hands to myself. But alas…you’re like the little brother I never had.”

“Your loss.” He shrugged.

“Somehow, I don't think it is. Grai and I know all your disgusting habits...like never washing your hat—that's just asking for trouble.”

“Washing it will take the luck out. Speaking of Grai, think she’ll join us?”

Calysta was really hoping she would, she’d left her a note in their cabin their mother had gotten for them when they needed to escape, before she’d slipped out early that morning to make the most of her day, but she’d been talking about doing some stuff with Ven. Hopefully it was something fun, and not at all work related...though with her sister being the workaholic she was, she didn't expect it; even if she did hope for it. Cal loved her sister to death, but half the time she found herself wishing Grainne would get a life outside work—it was going to take a lot of effort on her part, but she was going to make it happen, no matter how long it took.

 

“Promise me you’ll go sun yourself by the pool, at least for an hour,” Cortez said, and Grai made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat.

“I’ll go spare inside of an hour,” Grai retorted, slinging her arm around Cortez’s neck and pecking him on the cheek. “It’s not my style.”

Cortez chuckled, shaking his head. “Promise me, please. You work too hard.”

Grai gave him a wide-eyed stare. “What’s shore leave again?” She tilted her head to the side as she pretended to contemplate the concept. “Is it that thing the brass want me to do?”

“You’re impossible,” Cortez said, as Grai laughed.

Deciding that she at least needed the facilities, she jumped down from the shuttle and made her way through the throng to the cabin.

Sliding the door open, she headed for the bathroom.

 _One would think that two hundred years after their invention, it would be easier to go to the bathroom in one. Spoiler alert—it’s not,_ Grai thought, contorting her body in order to get out of her wetsuit long enough for a bathroom break.

Finally done in the bathroom, she headed into her bedroom. She changed her wetsuit for something a bit easier to move in, a pair of leggings under a tank and oversized sweater, and pulled her zipper boots back on.

A book and a cup of tea called her name. She wouldn’t miss this brief opportunity to relax—if only temporarily. That way, if Steve asked her, she could say she’d tried for some downtime. Her novel, _The Governess and the Duke_ ,—a ridiculous and contrived Regency romance—waited for her on the couch. She’d take this brief moment of rest to at least read a few pages before she headed back out into the streets. Even intelligence operatives needed a break now and then—and this way, she could at least keep her promise to Cortez, if only for a few minutes. Far more important things demanded her attention—such as chatter on the back channels about an attack being imminent. But for now, Grai would rest, for as long as she could. She needed to take a breath, and assess the situation with fresh eyes.

One of the reasons she’d suggested Elysium to Cal had been her working holiday, collecting intelligence. Elanos Haliat, the chatter suggested, could be planning an attack, and she had a hunch that he would launch it in the next few hours.

She put her book down, and opened her omnitool.

 

“Give me something hard.”

Joker grinned from ear to ear making Cal rolled her eyes and smack herself in the forehead; she hadn’t meant it like that and he knew it. They’d been tossing candied peanuts in the air at each other and catching them in their mouths, because the bar hadn’t been too busy since it was the middle of the afternoon, and Joker had been being picky about his choices—but he’d been playing it safe with his throws. She balled her napkin up and threw it at him, laughing as it hit him in the forehead; somehow he could turn everything into an innuendo. The cute bartender eyed them curiously as Cal ordered them another round of drinks, part of her ecstatic that Joker had been able to join them on this trip—because drinking alone was no fun, and she’d been forced to have fun on her own since they set foot on Elysium.

“Are you two a couple?”

Cal and Joker scrunched up their noses in disgust; it was a question they got far too often because they were almost always together, so they should be used to it...it didn't make it any less weird…

“Ew, gross!” They cried in unison.

“He’s like my brother.” Cal explained.

He nodded and shuffled away to make their drinks, though the number scribbled on her napkin under her glass when her order was finished made things clearer; she winked at the dark-haired cutie behind the bar and tucked the napkin into a pocket in her bag. She wanted to make use of that later. Joker sighed and grabbed the bill of his baseball cap, pulling his hat off his head before replacing it—a tic he’d developed from wearing it all the time. He loved Calysta to death, just not like that.

“If I had a hundred credits for every time we were asked that, I’d be rich.” He joked.

Calysta rolled her eyes. “Damn...how many times does that make this trip? Five? Grai called it.”

That was when she noticed the batarian entering the bar from over Joker’s shoulder—which seemed odd in itself since Elysium was a human colony. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, that he didn't hate humans like the rest of his species...but something told her that wasn’t the case as he glanced around, barely taking the time to absorb his surroundings. She’d gotten this far in her life by trusting her instincts; the atmosphere in the room had changed, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end before she noticed the gun on his hip.

 _Shit_.

Her hand went automatically to her hip to grab her pistol, only finding the knot of her sarong as she looked down, silently cursing her bikini. This was going to be interesting. Calysta watched the batarian carefully, two more joining the first, the three of them heavily armed. She’d gone rigid, Joker followed her line of sight, noticing the three of them as well, his eyes going wide; if things went south, he didn't have any gun training—not that he had a weapon of any kind with him...and neither did Calysta, come to think of it, but it wasn’t like she was entirely defenseless; she had biotics. When they drew their guns, she reacted with lightning speed, shoving Joker to the floor as her brown eyes flashed blue, body bathed in blue flames.

She was across the bar in an instant, ignoring the sound of a glass breaking behind her due to the force of her biotic charge, knocking the first batarian unconscious, disarming the second before he had time to react, and shooting the third at point blank range with the borrowed weapon. At the sound of the gunshot, someone screamed, but Calysta was focused on the one she’d only disarmed, dropping the gun as she whirled on him and grabbed him by the throat with her left hand, right arm glowing orange as she whipped out her omniblade, shoving it up under his jaw, the edge digging into his flesh. A drop of red blood traced a path through the orange.

“Why are you here?” She growled, but the batarian merely laughed and spit in her face. “If that’s the way you want to play it, fine. So be it.”

He crumpled at her feet, blood pooling from the slit in his neck, as she stepped over the unconscious one, making her way back to Joker, dancing across the shattered glass; the last thing she needed was a shard embedded in her bare feet. She hauled him to his feet and cupped his face in her hands, checking him over for any injuries, her eyes searching his; they’d known each other so long—they could communicate nonverbally. He shook his head twice and Calysta sighed in relief, drawing him into a hug...if anything happened to him, she’d never forgive herself.

“You’re good? Nothing broken?”

“I’m fine…that was awesome by the way. I don't get many chances to see you in action.”

Her laugh was hollow, distracted.

“I want you to hunker down here until I come get you, okay? There may be more out there and I need shoes...and please tie that one up, see if you can get any information from him.”

“Sure thing.”

With one last look, she took off running for the cabin, the door banging open as she flew through it.

 

_Hartcher crossed the room in three strides, and took Abigail into his arms._

_“Really? You’ll not refuse my offer of marriage?” He asked her, his hand on her waist, stroking her pert buttocks with the other hand._

_“No, I will not.” Abigail replied, her arms raising to his neck…_

Grai glanced up sharply as the door to their cabin banged open, admitting Cal, short of breath, wearing nothing but a skimpy bikini and covered in some form of blood. There wasn’t any sign of a wound so the blood couldn't have been Cal’s, but she wasn't the type of person to get into a bar fight...so where had the blood come from? She sighed, setting her book down, and stood. So much for getting in a little trashy reading before everything went down.

“Batarians.” Cal panted. “Where the hell are my shoes?”

Grai looked behind her, and sighed. “I thought there’d be an attack. Your shoes are under the table where you left them last night.”

Grai darted into her room, muttering under her breath as she fumbled with the lock for her gun safe. Pulling her shotgun and three pistols out, and checking her bullets and other things, she raced out the door.

Cal hadn't really had the time to come back for her shoes let alone to change, so she was going to have to make do with little to no protection from her outfit. This was definitely not how Cal had planned to spend her day, and she let out a mumbled string of curse words under her breath.

“Where’s Joker?”

“What do you mean you knew there’d be an attack and where’s Ven?” Cal stopped dead in her tracks. “I left Joker holed up in the bar.”

“I don’t have time to explain, but we need to get everyone in the air now—and _great job_ leaving Joker in the bar. He’s as useless as a hotline psychic. I’ll raise Steve, and everyone we can get here.” Grai ran towards the door, yanking it open, and threw a gun towards Cal, not caring if her twin caught it or not.

“At least he’s safe.” Calysta grumbled following her sister as she loaded chemical rounds into her gun.

Outside, the sky teemed with ships, some bearing Batarian insignias, others with insignias that had crossed her desk a few times. Her day had just improved immensely. No more boring shore leave—or shore leave in general. Grai’s breath caught in her throat as she watched the ships descend, and raised her gun, aiming for the closest enemy ship, and fired. It missed, but she had expected that.

Cal gaped up at the sky; they’d moved in quick...and the fact that many ships bore slaver symbols, made her angrier than she’d felt in a long time.

Grai dialed in a QEC code, and spoke quickly into her omnitool. “This is Shepard. Elysium is under attack. Get everyone into the air and _now_. Whoever’s around, the Batarians and Elanos Haliat just launched an attack on an unarmed civilian colony.”

 _Where the fuck is Steve when I fucking need him?_ Grai wondered, as she ran towards the bar where the civilians were. _Trapped in there, or are they safer there than trying to run to their homes? Keep them there—the risk is too great_. She raised her gun and fired a series of shots at a human in armour, bearing the insignia of Haliat. He fell, and Grai didn’t look back, as the air became thick with smoke and the scent of engine oil and petroleum mingled with the staccato of pirate ships.

She coughed, ducking low to the ground, and heard Cal joining the fray—her twin’s biotic signature as familiar to her as the air she breathed. Grai advanced towards the bar, and signalled to her twin that she would go round the back, and that Cal should go towards the front door. Lifting her gun again, she fired a round into the pirates that advanced towards her, determined that they wouldn’t get to the civilians.

“Joker!” Grai called, as she opened the back door. “I’m gonna get you in the air if I bloody have to carry you myself.”

“Over here!” Joker called, finishing up tying an unconscious batarian to a chair. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t have time, you just need to trust me and we need you in the air,” Grai bent down to retrieve a tiny revolver from her boot, and shoved it into Joker’s hands, before scooping him up into her arms, and ducked, running.

“Ow. Mind the Vrolik’s Syndrome,” he grumbled, as Grai stumbled under his weight.

“For someone with brittle bones, you weigh a ton,” she hissed, desperately hoping that Cortez would be there in moments.

“Well, excuse me,” Joker shot back.

Grai cursed under her breath as she carried Joker, bent double to prevent being shot at. In the chaos of the attack, she saw the outline of Cortez through the smoke. She ran, desperate for the Alliance Navy to show up—they desperately needed reinforcements. Four Alliance members weren’t enough—one of them only useful in the air, which brought the total down to three. No matter, she’d just have to keep the civilians safe—with Cal’s aid.

Cal would've been the first to admit, that just having her sister there was making her fight twice as hard; she’d be damned if anything would happen to Grai on her watch, even if she had lied about why they were here and had put both Joker and Ven in peril. They’d talk about that later, but for now, she had bigger worries...one of them was probably the unconscious batarian tied to a chair in the same bar she was headed for. But what would've happened if they hadn’t of been there? Things could've been much, much worse.

“Cal, get your ass here, now,” Grai hissed into her omnitool. “I’m thinking a pincer attack. You at one end of the bar, and me at the other.”

“You don't own me.” Cal chided, but got into position all the same. “Let’s do this, but when this is over, you don't ever get to plan our vacations again.”

She’d been suspicious when Grai had been the one to suggest taking a vacation, but she'd let it slide, hoping she was wrong...

“Fine,” Grai rolled her eyes, and dashed towards the entrance of the bar. She stood in front of it, her shotgun at the ready, as she lifted and threw the closest pirate, repeating the action as the pirates and batarians advanced, forming a ring around the bar. Frustration warred with desperation, as Grai picked off two or three at a time, only for two more to take their place.

“It never ends,” she mumbled, as she smeared medigel on a burn, and applied medigel to the few civilians who had decided they’d help.

“No, it doesn’t,” a boy of sixteen agreed, his face blackened with dirt and grime. “Where do you want me?”

“Not here. Go back to your mom and sister,” Grai ordered, tersely. Glancing upwards, the sky still swarming with pirate vessels unleashing hell, she could only hope the boy heeded her.

“Fuck that. This is my home,” the boy said, as Grai yanked him back.

“You’re no good to your mom or sister if you’re dead, Orlando,” Grai said, and placed him in a biotic stasis field.

 _I refuse to let him die on my watch,_ she thought fiercely. She aimed her gun again, and shot towards the closest vessel. Distracted by the party disembarking, her concentration wavered as Orlando darted forwards, and fell backwards, his eyes staring unseeingly into the blue sky above them. Grai sighed.

Cal was in the midst of bandaging up a little girl’s arm—she was eight years old and had gotten nicked by a bullet. Her parents hadn’t wanted to send her off alone when the shit hit the fan, and had barreled her into the bar because it was the safest place on Elysium at the time. Why the hell were they fighting pirates and slavers, of all things, when the galaxy was supposed to be so far advanced past that point? Cal bit her lip in frustration it didn't make sense what they were trying to accomplish by attacking an unarmed colony full of families, families with _children_.

Calysta was covered in nicks and scrapes, her arms tired from using both biotics and from the recoil on her gun. But she’d been refusing to touch the medigel, saving it for the civilians who had holed up with them. So far, there was no end in sight, and she wasn't going to let them waste it on her if another situation popped up down the line and they needed it.

“I refuse to help!” The familiar voice of the man who Grai had gone toe-to-toe with in the boxing ring earlier broke her concentration.

“Too bad,” Steve Cortez said, booting him out of the shuttle.

The two women stifled a laugh.

The man fell face-forwards, only to be shot by a pirate.

It seemed to go on for hours. The neverending battle—with four Alliance personnel—against pirates and slavers, had begun to take its toll on Grai. She leaned against the door jamb, breathing heavily as sweat poured down her back, drenching her. Cortez and Joker, though fantastic, were only two pilots against a force of several hundred. It reminded Grai, briefly, of Thermopylae—the force of three hundred Spartans against the Persian army and Xerxes, and of a thousand other similarly impossible battles.

 _“Theirs not to reason why_ , _theirs but to do or die,”_ Grai quoted under her breath, as she glanced up at the sky, and her hope of reinforcements died in answer.

Cal shaded her eyes with her hand against the sun filtering between the ships still dotting the sky, as she reloaded the chemical rounds into her pistol—ammo and medigel were low, and so was morale. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t ebb the flow of the encroaching slavers and pirates, and it was getting to them all, considering they were holed up in the bar, funneling their enemies into the scope. Where were they all coming from? Brown eyes scanned the area, darting back to what seemed to be a focal point, her arm glowing orange as she pulled up her omnitool to get a better reading.

“Grai...the breach...it’s the wall. Some of their troops landed beyond and blew a hole through it, short circuiting the colony’s defenses. I think I can make it. Can you cover me?” Cal ran her fingers through her disheveled hair.

_Into the valley of Death, rode the six hundred._

“Fuck yeah,” Grai said, as she reloaded her shotgun with the last of the cryo rounds. She aimed and fired one precise shot after another, as her twin biotically charged towards the hole, shooting anything and everything in her way. She could only hope they’d done enough to keep the civilians safe—and her heart lurched as she thought of Orlando’s mom and little sister, now without their brother and son in their life. It made her steel herself against the raging battle, her chin jutted upwards, defiant as the pirates charged once again.

It reminded her of Custer’s last stand.

It reminded her of the slaughter of the Scots on Culloden Moor.

It also reminded her of every single unwinnable battle won by two men and a box of ammo.

Her strength seemed to be waning, her arms tired from holding the gun and the recoil, her body fatigued. But these people deserved her protection, and she would protect them until they prised the gun from her cold, dead hands. Bloodied, beaten, she summoned the strength to continue the fight, determined to give Cal the time she needed, if only she wasn’t so exhausted. Her shirt, sticky with sweat, clung to her back, her face splattered with blood and guts, her hair plastered to her forehead, she moved, and then nothing.

Blue licked Cal’s irises, and she felt the familiar bursts within the eezo nodules in her body as she summoned every ounce of strength she had left from hours of fighting, pushing it all into a barrier. Sure they’d rallied the colonists to keep the pirates at bay, and they were doing commendably well, despite the few losses they’d sustained—she mourned Orlando’s death with Grai, the boy had been too young. But with the ships barricading them from reinforcements they were on their own...hopefully Joker and Ven were doing better than the two of them on the ground.

The sound of shots had ebbed somewhat, either Grai had stopped firing to watch their enemies get pushed back, or she’d succumbed to her exhaustion as well. She took a deep breath and shoved with all her might, a blue field of energy radiating outwards from where she stood, pushing all of their enemies back through the hole they’d poured through, Cal stopping the barrier it as it hit the breach and snapping the shield into place. She just needed to hold it for a little while, not only give the colonists and Grai respite from the fighting, but it was anyone's guess how long she could hold out; her energy was dwindling. The shield shook, her eyes lighting upon three angry krogans smacking themselves into it to get back in. Red spots dotted the sand.

What a time for a nosebleed…

Cal’s body was battered and bruised, her strength sapped, but she held the barrier, ignoring more blood joining the rest on the ground, her head spinning. Finally, there was the booming of a ship’s cannon, and everyone glanced up. Cal’s breath caught in her throat as the Alliance vessel carved a swathe through the batarian and pirate forces in the air. Sweet relief. When this was over, Calysta wanted to sleep for a year or at least a week, in the bed of some boy, maybe the cute bartender; she still had his number and wouldn't let it go to waste.

The last thing she remembered before she fainted, were the cries of the colonists that they’d done it, Elysium was saved.

 


	2. Star of Terra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blitz was hard on both of the twins, their bodies unused to the way they used their biotics without rest, but after their heroic actions saved the colony, Anderson and Hackett Awarded them both a Star of Terra

“Please wake up. Please.” Joker whispered into the air.

He had never prayed for anything in his life, but he was begging now—pleading that his two best friends made it out of this; he didn't know what he’d do without them. Their hands in his were still, unmoving, as they lay on the hospital beds, his chair between the two of them. The door opened behind him, revealing Steve who had gone to get the two of them coffee, as well as a few newcomers to the party: Hannah Shepard, her second husband Zaeed Massani, the twins’ step brother Bain Massani, David Anderson and Steven Hackett. Joker winced when he saw the worry etched on Hannah and Zaeed’s faces; they’d finally made it, only to have no good news about the twins’ conditions. Everyone heaved a collective sigh, not noticing as Calysta’s eyelids fluttered.

“Jesus.” She groaned. “How the fuck long was I out? You guys look like you’re planning a wake.”

“Cal, you and Grai have been out for three days…”

“Are you shitting me? That’s it? Wake me when it’s been a week.”

No one even bothered to tell her to watch her language, everyone just happy she’d be fine, as she glanced at her sister's bed, pushing herself up slowly into a sitting position. Every muscle ached with the effort and screamed in protest; she may have pushed her biotics a little too far that day, but it seemed like it had worked, despite the headache throbbing behind her eyes at the light in the room. Grai was still unconscious, looking like she felt; her back and arms felt like they were on fire, but she ignored it. Joker hadn’t released their hands, and she gave him an affectionate—albeit weak—squeeze, as her mother, stepfather and other best friend all came over to kiss her forehead in relief.

“If Grai’s not okay, I’m going to kill her.” She muttered, watching the deep, even breaths as her older sister slumbered on. “I need chocolate pudding.”

A collective chuckle rose up from the assembled group.

“Sure thing, Sweetpea.” Hannah smiled at her, drawing her into a hug and smoothing Cal’s hair away from her forehead as she kissed her youngest’s temple, and took her hand as she laced their fingers together.

“When you’re up to it, we’d like to award you both a Star of Terra—you two are the only reason Elysium is still standing.” Hackett told her.

“You both did good, child.” Anderson patted her leg through the blankets.

At the word ‘child’ the smile slipped from her face, her eyes brimming with tears at the memory of a sixteen-year-old boy, taken from the world too soon, his gaze blank as he stared up at the darkened Elysium sky. Zaeed cupped her chin gently, his calloused thumb stroking her cheek lovingly as she leaned into his palm; Hannah holding her as close as she could, they must’ve been so worried and for that she was sorry. Anderson and Hackett bowed out of the room, having been there to make sure the two were okay, but not wanting to disturb Grai who still slept, as Hannah and Zaeed followed suit to get Cal all the food she wanted...she always got an extreme case of the munchies after pushing her biotics to the limit. Steve smiled at her, ruffling her hair affectionately before she swatted his hands away, arms protesting the sudden movement as he sat on the edge of her bed; she was going to be just fine. Joker felt so small.

“Hey Jeff, come here.”

She hid the wince as she scooched to the side of the bed, making room for him on the mattress, Steve nodding and getting up to stand beside her on the other side. Joker sighed, clambering up next to her the two of them taking up the entire mattress as Cal turned on her side, wrapping herself around him and kissing his cheek. She didn't call him Jeff very often, but when she did it was because she knew something was wrong. Cal slung an arm around both his and Steve’s shoulders, ignoring her aching muscles at the awkward position she’d put herself in to hug them and pull the two of them closer; everything was going to be all right—they were all coming out of this together...she hoped, glancing at Grai once more. Cal had always been stubborn when it came to pain—preferring to grit her teeth through it and soldier on, and sometimes it was a curse, but she was the galaxy’s worst patient and she knew it.

“Are you sure you should be doing that so soon?” Steve asked.

“Ven, relax the pain will subside...I hope. I’ll be fine. Grai will be fine—we’re the four musketeers.” She forced a smile, sounding more confident than she felt.

“There are only three musketeers.” Joker chided her.

God, even rolling her eyes hurt.

“You forgot d'Artagnan, my friend.” Steve corrected.

When Hannah and Zaeed returned, the nurse followed them in to take Calysta’s vitals, advising her to keep her biotics offline for a week—she'd seriously rattled her implant using them like she did. She sighed. Her brain already wanted her to be out of bed and doing something, having spent three days doing nothing but sleeping, but her body protested at the slightest shift. What she wouldn't give for a massage. Hannah stood next to Cal’s bed, her fingers running through her daughter’s hair as Cal’s eyes fluttered closed, and she sank into the pillows, exhausted even after three days of sleeping, arms still wrapped around Joker and holding him close as everyone collapsed into the various chairs around the room, their attention on the twin who had yet to wake up, as Calysta drifted back to sleep.

 

The light from the hospital windows filtered in through the sheer blinds, dappling the light in the room. Propped up in bed, Grai glanced across through the open doorway out onto the hospital corridor. The cacophony in the hall meant that something had happened—she could hear the gurney wheels squeaking, and frantic footfalls of a team of medical professionals, the sound carrying through the paper-thin walls of the hospital ward. She pushed herself up, registering the uncomfortable feeling of an indwelling catheter as the tube tugged at the base of her urethra, threatening to pull it out. There was also the matter of the cannula in her hand, that had begun to tissue—fucking uncomfortable. The entire fact that Grai had to be confined to a bed that they didn’t even use a fitted sheet for—it slid downwards, bunching behind her back—made her pretty cranky, now that she felt well enough to notice these things.

Cortez had tried to straighten the sheets for her—but that’d been several hours ago—and he’d held her as she sobbed, his hands rubbing her back gently. Aside from Joker, Cortez was her dearest friend, and she’d clung to him as she bawled, eventually falling asleep.

“Ugh,” she mumbled, her body feeling like she’d gone toe-to-toe with an entire squadron of krogan. Stretching her fingers hurt—everything hurt. Maybe another shot of morphine would help—she pressed the button, and felt the saline drip pulse again as the morphine worked its magic, floating off into oblivion once again.

“Sweetie?”

Grai struggled to open her eyes, her body screaming in pain as the fire worked its way down her spine, flaring up and burning. She hissed, collapsing against her pillows, breathing hard at the effort it took to simply move. A calloused hand gripped hers, and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the pain to go the fuck away. Glancing up at her stepdad’s mismatched eyes, and the scar across his face, she read the understanding in his glance.

“Dad, does the pain ever get any better?” Grai mumbled.

“Give it time, sweetheart,” Zaeed said, and somehow that comforted her more than any platitudes could.

“I think going up against a squad of krogan would hurt less,” she said, trying for a moment of levity.

“Trust me, it ain’t pretty,” Zaeed replied. “You were knocked about pretty bad. Gave your mother and me a scare. You’ll be out of action for a while—your implant got rattled.”

“Speaking of, how’s she coping?” Grai asked, glancing across at her sister. “And what do you mean, my implant got rattled?”

“She’s been worried sick about both of you. We came as soon as we could,” Zaeed said, squeezing her hand and placing a kiss on her forehead.

“The last thing I remember is this sixteen year old kid dying,” Grai said, furrowing her brows as she tried to piece together the events of three days ago. “He wanted to help, I told him no, and he was shot…” Her face crumpled as tears began welling in her eyes and falling down her cheeks. “I should’ve insisted…”

Zaeed wrapped her up in his arms, stroking her hair, as he pressed his cheek to the top of her head. “It’s not your fault, Grai.You had no way of knowing he’d die. It’s a damn shame the kid’s dead, but you told him no, and he went ahead and got himself killed.”

“But I could’ve insisted he go back inside,” Grai mumbled, her head against her dad’s chest..

“He was headstrong and goddamn stubborn. Just like you and your sister. Not sure he would've listened …”

 

“Quit fidgeting.” Joker hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

He dug his elbow into Cal's ribs as she tugged at the high collar of her dress uniform, waiting up on the platform to receive a Star of Terra. She shot him a glare. It had been boring speech after boring speech making Calysta readjust in her seat—Joker just as frustrated; they’d made him shave. Luckily her seat was directly behind Admiral Hackett as he stood at the podium, only catching snippets of his speech; she was distracted—who had decided on the chairs? They were ridiculously uncomfortable for sitting in for hours on end. Grai had it worse and was on crutches; she’d gone surfing, before going up against a man on red sand in the boxing ring, and then had to fend off pirates and slavers—at least Cal had spent the morning before the attack relaxing.

It had been so easy for her to bounce back, but she worried about Grai and glanced at her, biting her lower lip. Besides sitting and listening to speeches, they only had to walk across the stage, and she’d already taken painkillers twice that morning, where Cal had only taken them once when she woke up—was the pain really that bad? Something was happening with her sister and she felt powerless to stop it; it was a horrible feeling. Cortez coughed once behind his hand, bringing her attention back to the present where Hackett seemed to be finishing up his speech.

“—courageous and distinguished service above and beyond the call of duty. Grainne and Calysta Shepard are heroes, and it is with great pride, The Systems Alliance awards them each with a Star of Terra.”

Cal stood slowly, her body stiff from sitting so long, before turning and holding the crutches steady for Grai like she normally did for Joker.

Grai’s lower back was on fire, as the pain spread through it. Sitting seemed to be one of the very few things that helped, and even then, she had to sit so still as to stop her muscles twinging, sending shooting pain up her spine. Would this fucking ceremony never end? Beside her, Cal stood slowly, and held the crutches for her. She winced as she stood, and put her arms through the cuffs and held onto the handles. Every movement felt like razor blades biting into her, but she straightened her back, trying not to let the effort it cost her to do so, show on her face. She only had to walk a few metres—but every step hurt.

“Thanks,” she managed to say, through gritted teeth. Aside from the fact that she was using crutches, the cocktail of high dose painkillers and antidepressants made her feel less than human. The entire injustice of being injured rankled with her, and she just hoped that sometime in the near future, she could move without pain.

Cal shot her a small, worried smile as she nodded.

Hackett and Anderson both grinned at the twins as they pinned the medals above their hearts—they couldn't have been more proud of their protegés. Hannah and Zaeed were on their feet clapping and cheering for both their daughters from the front row of the hall, ever the supportive parents; even their step brother Bain had deigned to show up and cheer them on. After pinning the Star of Terra and a couple other medals for their service to their chests, the two men sent them off, with a salute. Grai hobbled slowly back to her seat, wincing as she lowered herself into her chair, her hand gripping Cal’s to steady herself before Calysta stowed the crutches between them. When Joker and Steve were called to receive their Medal of Terra, the non-officers equivalent of the Star of Terra for their superior flying skills, Joker squeezed Cal’s hand before standing slowly, he’d dusted off his leg braces for the special occasion. Joker and Steve approached the podium.

Steve’s medal was pinned first, he stood tall and proud as Hackett pinned it on his chest. He raised his arm and saluted the man, Grai applauding proudly and as he sat down again, she kissed his cheek. When it was Joker’s turn, Cal was suddenly out of her chair—much to everyone’s surprise, including her own—holding her hand out to take the medal from Admiral Hackett.

“May I?” Her voice was soft.

Anderson coughed, everything about this was unprecedented and unexpected, but everyone let it happen; they’d saved Elysium...they were allowed a little indulgence. She straightened Joker’s lapel and readjusted his hat, before pinning the medal just above his heart, tears of joy brimming in her brown eyes. He grinned from ear to ear as she kissed his cheek before standing back, his salute echoing hers, Anderson’s and Hackett’s. This closeness was why people always thought they were dating, and now it had been broadcasted for the whole galaxy to see...


	3. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elysium took it's toll on the twins in different ways, harder on one than the other, which caused some tension.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by the fabulous Rayeliann (tumblr)

Cal groaned as she rolled over, woken by the incessant beeping of her omnitool signaling an incoming call; it took her a moment to recall what the sound even was, and had to untangle herself from Colin the cute, battle-hardened bartender from Elysium, who was wrapped protectively and contentedly around her. After the Blitz, she hadn't given him much thought, his number lost somewhere in the bottom of her bag, until they’d run into each other by chance nine months later, and hit it off. As her mind tried to catch up with her body, and process what was on the screen, Colin draped his leg across hers again making her smile slightly. She’d barely gotten any sleep the night before, N-training taking most of her day, time and energy, though part of the reason for her tired state was the black-haired man in the bed with her, who had thoroughly explored and exhausted her the night before. She squinted blearily at the display in front of her, brown eyes trying to adjust to the sudden onslaught of light. Why would Steve be calling her? He should've been on vacation with his new boyfriend Robert—Grai had introduced the two of them—enjoying himself too much to think about her.

“Ven? What’s up?”

“Cal, thank God! We’ve all been trying to get ahold of you for hours—why haven't you been answering calls?”  
  
She punched a couple buttons on her omnitool to check the time. “Because it’s four in the morning and any sane person is asleep at this hour.”

“Cal, Grai’s in the hospital.”

She jerked up in the bed, sitting bolt upright and jostling Colin awake again after he’d dozed off, she was suddenly wide awake. Nine missed calls from her mother, seven from her stepfather, six from Jeff and four from Steve had her feeling guilty, empty and powerless. Her sister had been having issues in the year since Elysium and instead of facing them head on with her, she’d run away and thrown herself into training, work and boys—like a coward. She’d had her own problems, but they’d been small compared to Grai’s. Calysta Shepard had been many things in her lifetime: sister, daughter, friend, soldier, biotic and lover, but never a coward before and she didn't like the feeling; there was still time to make this right.  
  
“What happened?” Her voice trembled.  
  
Colin sat up at the tone of her voice; something was horribly wrong…in the short three months he’d known her, she’d never sounded so close to tears. His arms closed around her and he pulled her snug against his chest. She leaned back into his embrace holding back her tears—she could've prevented it if she’d only been around to be her sister’s rock; going forward she wouldn’t make the same mistake. Cal took a shaky breath as she extricated herself from Colin’s embrace and slid from the bed to find her clothes. She could tell Steve was trying not to cry on the other end of the call, Grai had been his best friend for years, the two of them as close as her and Joker; this had to be hard on him too.

“She overdosed on painkillers.”

“I’ll be on the first shuttle home. And Ven? Look after her until I get there.” She pleaded.

“Of course. Godspeed.” Steve replied.

Cal tapped a couple buttons on her omnitool, ending the call with Steve, a bundle of clothes clasped tightly in her left hand as the orange glow around her arm dissipated. A heavy sigh fell from her lips as she got dressed quickly, calling for a shuttle to come pick her up. Colin caught her hand as she turned from the edge of the bed. She stared down into his beautiful grey eyes, one hand stroking the stubble on his jaw, her free hand running back and forth across the smooth muscles of his chest as she brought her mouth down to his. Here she was, running again; it seemed like no matter what she did it always came back to that—and the thought made her pull away. Her omnitool chirped.

“My shuttle’s here—I have to go.”  
  
“Cal, I’m so sorry…I know how much she means to you, and I know that nothing I say will make this any better, but I get that you need to go to her. Will I see you again?”  
  
She bent and kissed his lips one last time. “If the fates allow…”

With one last glance backwards, she fled from the room, her footsteps echoing around her as she ran down the stairs, and into the waiting shuttle.

 

When Grai woke up in a cold sweat, from a fitful sleep, Cal was there, helping her mop the sweat from her brow, checking her pupils and her pulse, and smoothing the hair back from her forehead. She couldn't believe it had gotten so bad while she was away; she should've been there, should've helped stop the addiction, but she was here now and didn't intend to leave anytime soon. She forced a smile as she glanced down at her sister, grimacing up at the ceiling as Grai writhed in the hospital bed, agitation setting in, as Cal held her down to the mattress, hoping she wasn't hurting her too badly.

“For someone who hates hospitals, how did you let yourself end up here again?” Cal joked, kissing Grai’s forehead. “I’m sorry I haven't been around….how did you let it get this bad?”

“I just wanted the pain to stop.” Grai grumbled, a shiver racking her slender frame.

Cal reeled back at what her sister’s statement implied; this was more serious than she’d originally thought. She combated the occasional flare up of pain with massages, physical therapy, yoga, and lots of sex, but it seemed her sister had been after more immediate results. Cupping her sister’s chin she searched her eyes, probing for answers she wasn't sure she wanted to find; she’d been praying it had been accidental, and now she wasn't sure  she wanted to hear the answer to the question she was going to ask next. The chair she’d pulled up to the bedside groaned as she collapsed into it, her head in her hand and fingers braced against her temple.

“Grai was this deliberate?”

Grai fiddled with her blanket, the waffle-weave texture suddenly extremely fascinating to her. She knew that Cal genuinely worried for her, but the pain had been so bad and so wearing that she wanted it to end. She wanted all of it to bel over—no more grinding pain.

“Do you know what I've been going through the past year? Why did you get to bounce back and I didn't? How is that fair?” She bit out, anger rushing through her. It wasn’t fair that her sister had bounced back so quickly—it wasn’t fair that she seemed to look so goddamned good when she herself was a mess. She might’ve overdosed deliberately, but she wasn’t about to admit that to Cal—Cal wouldn’t understand.

“Life isn't fair! I forced myself to get better—to work through any pain I felt! I didn't take the easy way out! Yes, you're right, yours was worse, but you spent the morning of the attack surfing, then boxing with a man twice your size on red sand with fake biotics, and then threw yourself into a fight you _knew_ was coming!” Cal threw her bag across the room, ignoring the thud as it hit the wall, the contents spilling onto the floor. “So fine, yell at me for being able to snap out of it, blame me for this happening because I wasn't around to see the signs, but only part of this is on me.”

“I couldn’t tell you anyway; you weren’t read in!” Grai snapped. “I’d been tracking Haliat for _months_ before this happened.”

“Jesus, Grai! I get not being able to tell me the particulars, but you didn't have to lie and say we were going on vacation! You could've said Hackett needed you on the ground, and I wouldn't have been caught with Joker unarmed in the bar and nothing but a skimpy bikini for protection!”

The twins glared at each other breathing heavily, the tension in the air thick and suffocating. It wasn’t the time or place for their argument, and even if they both knew that, there were things that needed to be said. Letting out a small huff of annoyance Cal stood and crossed the room to pick up her bag and everything that had fallen out; she shouldn't have thrown it at all, let alone yelled at her sister—they were in a hospital afterall. Grai’s fingers clenched and unclenched around the blanket draped across her lap, an awkward silence hung in the air as Cal sat back down in the chair, drumming her fingernails on the metal arm. Truth be told, Cal had pitched a fit when Anderson had tried to bench her from duty; it hadn’t been one of the finer moments in her career...

“You should go. I'd rather be alone than deal with this right now.” Grai muttered making Cal cross her arms over her chest.

“That’s too bad, I’m not going anywhere. You’re going to be stuck with me reading my new romance novel _Don’t Tempt the Duke o_ ut loud, as we try and work through this. We may be mad as hell at each other right now, but we're still sisters and we either finish this detox process together or not at all.”

She settled herself against the thin black cushions, curling her legs up underneath her as she grabbed the book out of her bag and opened it on her lap to the beginning. The book promised to be one of the smuttiest pieces of trash she’d found in a long while. They didn't notice when a nurse popped his head in the room to see what the commotion had been, both absorbed in the book Cal was reading to her sister; the temperature in the room had gone up several degrees. They couldn't erase the fight—but they could hide it behind happier memories, like the one they were making now; neither of them liked fighting with the other, but sometimes there wasn't a choice.

 

*****

 

“I feel like I haven't seen you in years...how’s the N training going?”

Cal grinned and pulled the lapel of her black sweatshirt into the vidcall screen, a white, embroidered N7 logo catching Joker’s attention immediately. He could barely contain his enthusiasm; she’d been doing her N training for seven years and he’d known she was close to the end, but the exact timeline had been a little fuzzy. After she and Grai had received their Stars of Terra three years before, the twins had gone their separate ways, Cal's nose right back to the grindstone to reach the rank of N7, while Grai had to take some time off and was stuck behind a desk, due to incessant pain flaring up at the worst possible times. Luckily Grai was back and had worked double time on her own N7 training, and had finished right alongside Cal…

“Last day of training was today—and you saw me two weeks ago….the official closing ceremony is next week, you're coming right?”

“If I have to shave, that’s definitely a deal-breaker; never again.” Joker teased.

“This ceremony isn't about you; you'll be in the audience, so I'd say ‘no’.”

He grinned at her. Being away from her, Grai and Steve was hard, but Anderson and Hackett had him doing what he loved, testing ship maneuverability, running obstacle courses to put others through their paces but all he wanted was to be able to pilot a ship of his own. One day, she wanted a front row seat when Joker achieved that dream. Someone called his name from off screen, and with a wave and a smile his end went dark, Cal sighing and running a hand through her hair as he disappeared, the screen turning black when she logged off. She stretched in her chair before standing—her stomach was starting to protest at lack of food...so maybe it was a good thing they’d ended their little chat when they did; Colin, her roommate and lover, glanced up and caught her by the hand as she walked past him towards the door. He’d joined the N Program to be close to her, and while not as high in rank as she was, he was enjoying himself so far. Cal loved being close to him.

“Cal, tell me you're not heading to the mess hall, _again_.”

The stress he’d placed on the word ‘again’ made her pause; maybe she _had_ been going there far too much.

“Do you have a better idea? I’m starving.”

He winked. “Stay in with me and let me teach you how to cook; eating that cafeteria crap 24/7 is bad for morale.”

Calysta rolled her eyes but nodded, smiling—it was a lovely idea...plus he would have her all to himself for a couple hours. How appealing. Heaving a dramatic, heavy sigh, she plopped down on Colin’s lap, straddling him as his arms wrapped around her instantly, pulling her hair to one side with gentle hands; his nose nuzzled her exposed skin, teasing kisses following, her head fell sideways, giving him more access to her neck. She trailed her hands across his forearm, gently tracing patterns on his skin with her fingertips before her eyes closed, lost in his touch. His hand covered hers, where it was on his arm before bringing her hand up and kissing her fingers.

“Plus, you’ll have me all to yourself in close quarters.” She teased.

Colin chuckled, catching her lips in a light kiss. “The thought may have crossed my mind.”

He rolled them over so he was on top of her, his hips between her thighs as she ran her fingers gently across the muscles of his chest, placing a soft kiss on his shoulder. A contented sigh escaped her lips as he nibbled her neck gently and affectionately, his hand woven in her dark curls before he brought his mouth to hers, soft lips warm and inviting; all she could focus on, was the warmth of his body pressed against hers. He gently stroked her thigh with one hand, his free hand cupping her chin, thumb running along her jaw as he pressed his lips to hers once more, changing his angle to deepen the kiss. His fingers traipsed upwards to her hips, her head falling back against his pillows with a soft moan. A delighted shiver ran down her spine.

 

Their graduation ceremony, was long, and unfortunately, uneventful, and so after saying goodbye to her mom, stepfather and stepbrother—Bain, who had once again been dragged along for the ride where his stepsisters were concerned—she and her friends went out for their own celebration. Colin wasn't joining them, because of work, but Calysta would be damned if she let work stop her from seeing her boyfriend, before he had to leave the station the next morning and go on a training mission on some backwater planet with harsh environments to test his survival skills on next to no sleep. She bit her lip as she watched him, expertly making drinks—if she had her way he wasn't going to get much sleep after his shift was over, anyways; part of her liked to think she was helping. He grinned at her as he made his way down the bar towards her, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek when he reached her.

“Hi.” She whispered, breathless and downright giddy.

“Hey there. What'll you have?” Colin asked, wiping his hands on a dish towel before slinging it back over his shoulder.

He hadn't been able to get the time off to join Calysta and all her friends in the celebration of her completing the N program, but at least they’d decided to have their party in the bar in the wards of Arcturus Station where he worked part-time when not doing his own N training. Bartending was at least familiar. Calysta readjusted herself on her bar stool, placing her elbows on the bar and resting her chin against the back of her hands as she batted her long black eyelashes at him, flashing him a dazzling smile—one she reserved for hardcore flirting with him. He swallowed. Of course she decided to do this to him while he was at work...he really shouldn't have expected anything less; Calysta’s hand covered his where it rested on the counter, her thumb stroking the back of his hand lovingly.

“Sex on the beach…” She winked. “...if I play my cards right.”

Colin coughed, cheeks tinged with pink.

Joker rolled his eyes and pretended to gag. “Get a room.”

“We have one, it’s ready for our own _private_ celebration later.” Cal teased, grabbing her boyfriend's lapel and kissing him hard.

Colin stumbled back in surprise, smiling softly to himself before shaking out of it and focusing his attention on mixing her drink; a red, orange and yellow beverage—the sex on the beach she’d wanted, was suddenly in front of her, a bead of condensation rolling down the glass. She took a sip, rolling the liquid over her tongue as she winked at him over the rim. She turned on her barstool, drink in hand, and faced everyone gathered to celebrate. It was nice to have a moment to relax, to not have to worry about missions or tests or whether or not she was going to make it home, not in a box. The chime above the door went off, all eyes swiveling towards the sound, Grai sauntering in, a little late to the party with a handsome, very tall, dark-haired man on her arm. Cal whistled loudly.

“Look who deigned to grace us with her presence! The other woman of the hour, the yin to my yang, my partner in crime, the—” She cried.

“How many drinks has she had?” Grai asked as she sidled up to the bar and sliding into the seat next to Calysta.

“Barely any of this one.” Colin pointed to the drink clutched in his girlfriend’s perfectly manicured hands.

Calysta took another sip of her drink. “I’m not drunk...just happy to see you; you’re up and around, eye candy on your arm, and now you’re a graduate from the N program with me—even with taking time off. It’s nice to know your life wasn't fully derailed two years ago.”

Later, maybe she'd ask about the man Grai came with, but she wasn’t going to pry—Cal hadn't even told Grai about Colin, not wanting to rub it in that she had bounced back so fast; he was her best kept secret from her family, so who was she to try and get answers from Grai...answers she hadn't given herself yet. It was wonderful to know someone cared, even if Grai herself was exhausted from training twice as hard to catch up to her little sister. Grai slung an arm around her twin’s shoulders—nothing would've stopped her from being by Cal’s side for this momentous occasion, and somehow she’d made it through on her own as well. Steve grinned and held up his omnitool, capturing the moment—a memory they could look back on fondly. The bartender slid a whiskey on the rocks down the bar...she didn't even ask how he knew that was her drink of choice.

“All hail Grai and Cal Shepard, queens of the N Program!” Joker raised his beer in the dimly lit bar.

Several drinks were held aloft, murmured ‘cheers’ rustling through the gathered friends and patrons along with the tinkling of glasses being clinked together. Any excuse for them all to be together in one place was good enough; it hadn't been happening much over the last little while, and it was about time to change that, even if it was only for one night. All that work wasn’t good for either twin, they needed to have a little fun too. Calysta set her drink back down on the bar, grabbing Joker and Steve by their arms and reeling them in for another picture, this time the four of them instead of just her and Grai, setting a timer on her omnitool, they  huddled close so they could all fit in the picture’s frame, the shutter clicking loudly. This was something she wanted them all to remember.


End file.
